Returned With Honor!!

I just got home from Perú! I am so grateful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and for this time which I have had with the fine people of Peru.

Recien llege de Peru. Estoy tan agradecido por mi Señor y Salvador Jesucristo, y por este tiempo que he tenido con las personas marravillosas de Peru.

My last email! (I think)

This might be my last email from Peru!  It is a rather bitter sweet feeling, but all in all it doesnt feel real to be finishing my mission.  On one side I want to come home, but on the other I do not want to stop being a missionary.  I am still surprised I have made it this far.  But I would never trade this experience for anything in the world.

This week we have worked super hard in the area and I am happy.  Sadly we have two men almost ready for baptism but they will both be baptized in June.  Hubert had his baptismal interview this week, but he still needs to overcome a couple of things.  But I am so happy because I feel like Hubert really is a convert, he seeks to do the Lords will.  And that is what matters.

I feel extremely blessed to be here in Peru.  I will always feel like I have family here.  I know that this work is real and I know that the price of a single soul is extremely great in the sight of God.

Love,
Elder Perryman

2 more weeks in the promised land of Peru!!

So I am sorry that last week I didn't write.  Because of Mother's Day, we spent a little more time playing soccer and we lost track of time.  But today we went to Eten and played capture the flag.  I am super tired.

Tonight we have a lesson with Hubert, who is programmed to be baptized this week.  I really hope that he can meet his goal because he has such a great heart.  But, like many of the people here, he has a sad past and many obstacles to overcome.

This week while we were contacting we found another complete family.  They were nice, receptive to the gospel, and they had friends who are members of the church.  Sadly they told us directly: "You Mormons have many rules which we still can't live.  We still like to drink and dance."  This reminded me so much of 2 Nephi 28:7 and I realized that the book of Mormon prophets realized exactly how our world would be.  Lucky they have also given the solution, but the investigators must accept it.

Love,
Elder Perryman

2 weddings and a baptism

This week has been great.  We have ran around the whole zone about 3 time this week, because 2 areas have moved rooms and many areas needed new mattresses and bunk beds.  Talking with all the landlords has certainly taught me patience and I have learned a lot about how to find a good place.

Elder Sulluchuco and I have been working with a family for a while now and this week they are going to get married.  The wife is a member and the husband is not.  While we were talking with them about wedding papers the husband told us "What I really what is to go to the temple and have this forever."  He has accepted a baptismal date and they are very strong in the gospel right now.  It takes a lot more paper work to get married in Peru (the bishops cant marry here) but the most important thing is for these couples to make it to the temple.

Also one of the recent converts in the ward, Brother Nelson, is going to be sealed this week to his future wife.  Brother Nelson is about 30 and he comes out with us every week.  He never leaves home without his Book of Mormon and he always testifies of the restoration.  I am so happy to see that he will be taking the next steps by going to the temple this week.

I just want to say congrats to Ben and Olivia this week.  And thank you mom for sending me 100+ photos.  So My email is going to be a little short.

I love you all.  I am so tired after this week, but I am so happy about the progress in our area.

I love you all,
Elder Perryman

Elder Sulluchuco!!!

So my last companion is Elder Sulluchuco, he is from Lima Peru!  He was already in my zone and we are already great friends.  It was so funny because is the change meeting we sat next to each other and we didn't even know that we would be companions.  I am happy that he is my last companion because he is a very hard worker.

This week we have been going crazy because two companionship's are changing their rooms and looks for rooms is tough sometimes.  Also I have been showing the area and explaining some zone stuff to Elder Sulluchuco, so this has been a pretty full week.  Happily we have had a lot of time to work and we even had five investigators in church.

This week we have been working a lot with Martin.  Martin has been investigating the church for a long time, but has been unable to overcome his addiction to alcohol and be baptized.  This week though he seemed to have a different character.  He has had his ups and downs in my time in this area and it makes me feel for those who struggle with addictions.  This man wants everything to change, but sometimes he does not feel strong enough to overcome his alcoholism.  Only the gospel and the atonement of Jesus Christ can truly heal help.  And it is.

This week we are planning to work like crazy in the area.  The more we use time wisely the faster it passes.  I love this work, and I want to finish strong.

Love,
Elder James Perryman

Cambios!

So this week we were in the middle of a lesson and President Williams called us to ask my companion if he wanted to go home early.  This worked out perfectly for him because he will now be able to go to the temple dedication (in Cordova) with his family.  So Elder Cosentino has a change and in two weeks he finishes his mission.  I will stay here, but I do not know who will be my next companion yet.

This week went super well, but no one came to church.  We had a lot of lessons and we are focusing a lot on the less active members here in the ward.  We now have a solid teaching pool, which is great because when I first got here there wasn't much.  I hope that my next companion comes ready to work so that my last change will be a great one.

As a zone today we played soccer Latinos vs Gringos and it actually was a really even game.  I have started to really enjoy soccer and I hope my next companion will want to play too.

This week we had a random contact with a guy in the street while going to an appointment.  When we came back the next day we taught Herman, the man we contacted, and he had so many great questions for us.  At the end of the lesson he gave us sponges to wash dishes...which was really strange.  That night we taught a family and when we finished we gave them the sponges and they told us that they were about to go out to buy sponges.  The Lord works in funny ways, but sometimes the coincidences that we see are so random.

Anyway this week we had the opportunity to really be in the area and teach.  I love teaching and learning more about the gospel, but now I see that the gospel is a life long pursuit, not something that we just find.  We as members of His church must discover and continually rediscover the scriptures.

Love,
Elder Perryman

PS I am pretty sure I ate dog this week....

Another Great Week!

Family!

This week has been filled, as always, but really great.  We had the leadership training, zone training, and interviews with President Williams this week.  I love President Williams because he has power behind his testimony.  In the zone training we spoke much about the Holy Ghost and it made me want to study the scriptures more because the "Word" is the way to preach with power.

Kati and Ariceli were baptized this week.  Kati is our pensionista´s best friend and Ariceli is our pensionista´s daughter.  Kati was a Seventh Day Adventist and now she wants to serve a mission.  Also it was a great day because our pensionista is becoming more and more active at church.  I truly do not believe that I was sent here to baptize, but to help those who are lost come back.

Sunday Luis came to visit my ward because he is going on his mission next month.  I gave him a couple of ties and shirts because he needs so much help to go on the mission.  I was incredibly happy to hear that despite the opposition from many of his family members his twin and his younger brother are also going to send in their papers.

Every p-day we play soccer at a synthetic field and we usually talk with the young man who works there.  We have now started to teach him and it is funny how he always asks us when we will visit him when we play soccer Mondays.  Even though at sometimes we feel like people don't want to hear about the gospel, we must always try and be friends of others.  Once we have true friends, then they will understand what our purpose is.

Love,
Elder Perryman

p.s. the package came in! Thank you so much Mom and Dad!!!

What a great conference!

This week has been a crazy "Semana Santa" and a great Easter.  This week we have been busy getting ready for conference and helping missionaries move and the week that is coming up is filled with meetings....I hope that for my last change I can just teach, teach, and teach.

This week we ended up using our first day to help move the sister from "la union" into their new room.  It was also fun trying to get all the electric shower heaters up.  Half the zone didn't have one, which means half the zone was showering with cold water.

I did a work visit with Elder Harper this week in "Imperio" and it went really well.  He is a super funny missionary and we just talked about how we can become more effective missionaries.  I have a problem because I like to analyze the numbers.  But I also had the opportunity to visit three of the recent converts in "Imperio" who I had the privilege of meeting in their interviews before [their baptisms].  They all are active and seem to be happier than the first time I met them.  The first year as a member of this church is a super important time to progress in the gospel.

Speaking of recent converts, one my favorite people who we taught in Ferrañafe is going to go on a mission to Quito, Ecuador next month.  He will go even though his father does not want him to even be a member of the church.  He has a lot of challenges, but also one of the greatest stories of real faith.

Wow, this was probably one of my favorite conferences as a missionary.  I especially loved the talks given by Elder Packer, Elder Christofferson, Elder Holland, Elder Pearson, and Brother Gibson.  They made me reflect much upon the Atonement and how this is the time for me to prepare to be a father.  I was especially touched by Elder Hollands talk, because it made me think of my two greatest brothers: Sam and Jesus Christ.  Also Brother Gibson's word made me remember my parents.

It is always important to give heed to the inspired men of today.  I can't wait to read the footnotes in the May Liahona.  Thomas S. Monson will guide me more in my life today than any other prophet.  I have felt blessed to hear so many inspired men this week.

Love,
Elder Perryman

Chiclayo is Crazy

We have had a great and crazy week.  We have had a couple of baptismal interviews, work visits, and we have visited the rooms again with President this week.  Baptismal interviews are the best part of being a missionary.  This week I spoke with a 90 year old man named Juan.  He said that he still has at least 10 years more to live because his grandfather lived to be 140 years old.  But when we spoke my testimony of the word of wisdom grew.  He said that even though he recently is a member of the church he has almost always lived by this gospel principle.  He also told me a lot of cool stories of his time in the military and made me laugh a lot.

This week we also went out with Billy Brian Bravo to teach and it went really well.  Sadly he thinks that he needs to leave the country in a couple of weeks because of personal reasons.  He is a great guy, but it is sad to see that sometimes people are put into tough positions.

This week while we were contacting we have seen the weirdest things.  We met a guy named Jesus who said that he isn't Christian.  When I said that is weird he just said "Asi es la vida" or "Life is like that sometimes."  When I knocked on the next door someone stuck out a little baby doll hand to shake my hand, which freaked me out.  And in the same street we were contacting houses and when we were walking to the next house a kid runs out being chased by his dad with a belt.  Lets just say that we didn't have the chance to contact them...but Peru is crazy and I wish I could remember all the crazy things people do here.

I love serving here in Peru because the people are really great.  Even if we go to a store just to buy something to drink the people want to talk to us.  This week we met a man who literally cried when he spoke about how much he loved his family.  Also while we were half walk through the lesson he stopped us to ask "Where is your church?" and then "Can I go?"  I know that the Lord prepares hearts to receive our message.  They have the opportunity to accept or reject the gospel, but out Heavenly Father will always help prepare the hearts of men.

Love,
Elder Perryman

Rain, rain go away!

This week it has been raining it Chiclayo.  It hasn't been raining hard, but Chiclayo can't handle even a little bit of rain. I will send photos next week.  A couple days this week we have woken up and parts of our room have been wet, and the streets here are super muddy.  I like it though, because I miss rain, just it isn't super good for missionary work.

President Williams came this week to visit some of the rooms in our zone.  His wife brought chocolate chip cookies and it made me miss Moms cookies so much.  When President came into our room and saw that we have a mini soccer field set up he tried to shoot for a goal.  We visited the other rooms and everything went well.

Also this week we moved the Sisters from Los Andes into a new room.  They are super lucky because the owner of the house left an arm chair and a dining room table for them to use.  But it was a work out to take apart all of there stuff to move.

This week that is coming up Billy Brian is going to come and teach with us.  Since Henry left we haven't had many members to come out with us, but this will get better in the weeks to come.  The best way to find new people to come out with us is by reactivating them and helping them see how fun mission work really is.

I love you all

Elder Perryman

Vagos!

Happy Birthday Grandma Murphy!

I forgot that tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day.

With the change there are a bunch of new faces in the zone and now I feel really old.  My companion and I are the oldest by far in the zone.  But because we finish at the same time I am pretty sure that I have one more transfer left, but you never know.

This week we made a list of less active young men from 18-25 years of age and we have been trying to find them all.  The list has about 50 names, so you can see that the work now in Peru is concentrated more on finding less actives.  But I really like working with "potential future missionaries," I would love to have a calling with the young men one day.  The problem is a lot of these young men come from broken homes and they don't realize yet how much the gospel can help them and their families.

I am starting to really love playing soccer.  My companion is a soccer fanatic and he dribbles the ball in our room whenever he is thinking or bored.  Also he cut my hair this week and as a joke he shaved off the sides of my head and left everything else.  But don't worry he fixed it afterward.

I still feel like I am going to be a missionary for the rest of my life.  I feel like I would get lost if I wasn't teaching someone daily.  I love teaching now and I hope that I will be able to do teach in English too someday.

Love,
Elder Perryman

Las Ultimas 12 Semanas! (The Last 12 Weeks!)

So I will be in La Victoria for another change with Elder Cosentino (Buentino).  It is funny because we are from the same group so we just tell people that we are going to finish together.

This week was pretty filled with meetings and planning.  The leadership training was great (as always); we basically spent all the time about baptism.  Also President spoke of how it is hard to speak Spanish and it is hard to speak English, both take practice.  But the most important language we can learn in the mission is the language of the spirit because it will be the most important here and for the rest of our life.

We had our zone conference Friday and I think it well pretty well.  I really like trying to motivate missionaries, but it is something I am still learning how to do.  Most of the conference we did practices and they all went really well.  I really like the missionaries that we have in the zone right now, because it is a group of hard working and obedient missionaries.

This week Henry Rojas went on his mission.  Henry is a great recent convert in the ward who almost always leaves with us.  He has even started to contact and knock doors with us.  He is way more prepared for his mission than I was when I came out.  I wish I had gone out with the missionaries more before.

This week has been good and we have some great families which we have found.  We even found a whole less active family in our area and they want to listen to us.  I know that the true motive of our work is to help all families make it to the temple.

Love,
Elder Perryman

Apostasy!

Elder Cosentino is one of the funniest companions I have had.  He has limited English skills, but he is trying to learn more.  Every time we have an interesting lesson he always says "apostasy" in English, like when someone told us this week that the US President is the devil.

This week I have bumped into one of my favorite members from Ferreñafe twice in the same week.  His name is Brother Tantachuco, and his son always came with us to teach.  Needless to say this was the highlight of my week and he also said that one of my converts is going to the Quito, Ecuador mission.  Sadly Luis, the young man who I taught, comes from a humble background and his parents are not members of the church.  In fact his father is against him going on a mission and won't help his son at all.  It is sad, but it brings me so much joy that in spite of so much opposition Luis wants to serve the Lord.

Also this week we had work visits from the assistants.  The was great because it has been a while since I have worked with Elder Lalli.  I love the mission because I have become fascinated by the scriptures.  When we had finished teaching for the day we went back and continued to talk about doctrine.  Then progressively we talked about how we need to go on a couple double dates after the mission.

Sunday we ate at a members house and they were so nice to us.  I could see they happiness in this small family because they do the small things in the gospel.  I know that eternal happiness is built line upon line and I know that I am on my way to achieve it.

Love,
Elder Perryman


PS:  Yes I have lost weight.  I now work out every morning, eat fruit salad for dinner, and I am trying to cut down on rice.  So now I weigh 80 kg or 176 pounds...I used to weigh 200 pounds.

Recieving Saturday

I feel like in each one of my areas I learn a lot about another religion, because a lot of the people who live their practice it.  In my first area it was Evangelistas, then Catholics and witchcraft, then Jehovah's Witnesses, and now Adventistas.  There are so many here.  We were teaching an Adventist family this week and we didn't realize that we set the appointment for Friday night (or there beginning of the Sabbath day).  So when we got there they offered to say the first prayer to "Receive Saturday" then we taught a lesson on the importance of the sacrament (not the day).

This week Henry, a youth in the ward who has his mission call, has been coming out with us a lot.  We went contacting and I realized how prepared he is for his mission.  He would knock on the doors and start teaching without fear and the people would let him in every time.  The members do so much work here.

Also this week we have found great families.  We taught a family that loves the concept of a modern day prophet and they want to raise their child in a church.  I really hope that the families that we are teaching begin to progress.

We are also working with Martin, who is ready to be baptized, he just needs to give up alcohol.  It breaks my heart to see how sometimes he is so full of hope and other times he loses hope.  I have seen men overcome alcoholism in my mission before, and I know that it can only be done through true conversion.  This is what I hope to see with Martin.

I love you all,
Elder Perryman

Family!!

Another week in a very dusty paradise...we are starting to see more progress in our area and in the zone, but it is always little by little.  But what makes me happier than anything else is that we are starting to find more families.

This week I did a work visit to Chosica.  Chosica the rural part of the zone so it brought back memories of some of my last areas.  It was a good visit and we found two famlies to teach while I was there.  Also two people told me that they thought I was Latino and that made my day.

Another missionary in our  zone went home for health reasons.  He is a great missionary and I hope to see him again in three months.

Elder Cosentino is reading the Book of Mormon in English with me everyday and it is great for two reasons.  I find Latino accents in English the funniest thing on earth and Elder Cosentino is naturally really funny.  But the other more important reason I enjoy reading with him is because we read sloooooow.  It is so important for us to sometimes stop and ponder or take our time reading.  Reading the Book of Mormon should never be like a quick lunch to keep us going in the day, but it should be like a spiritual banquet where we savor each bite.  The is a reason for every word and verse in the Book of Mormon, and we must discover why the prophets inscribed each word.

I hope you all have a great week.

Love,
Elder Perryman

Feliz Dia de la Amistad!!

I don't know if this is a Spanish thing but here in Chiclayo they say "Feliz Dia de la Amistad" which literally means "Happy Friendship Day,"  but I think they say that because Chiclayo is "La Tierra de la Amistad" or "The Land of Friendship."

This week is has been filled with meetings and the next week will be the same.  We had the leadership meeting with President and then a multi-zone conference with president Williams.  This week that is coming up we have a meeting with the stake and our zone training.
My favorite part about being zone leader are the meetings that we have with president.  They are always very spiritual.  But this time he had a practice and he called my companion and I up.  He taught us the importance of always studying Spanish/English in the mission and he said things that really got to my heart.  I know that I have the desire and the ability to learn more languages and I am excited to continue to learn Spanish, even after my mission.

So Thursday was the first day that we really started to work in the week and all we wanted to do was find new families.  We had our prayers answered and we taught a handful of complete families this week.  We even taught a family that already has a book of Mormon and they want to know why there are so many churches.  I know that the Lord has his hand in our work.

We taught Alberto this week and he understood more of the lesson, but he once again said that a couple of the books in the new testament are "more or less".  He suffered from a stroke so sometimes he forgets a lot of the basic things, which scared me about him coming to church, but he ended up coming early and walked in waving at everyone with his hands above his heads.

Also this week I taught Elder Cosentino the word "sketchy" because it doesn't even exist in Spanish.  He made me laugh so many time this week because we would be walking in the street pointing out things as "sketchy" and at the end of the day he just said "Peru is sketchy."

I have realized that I have so many things that I need to do before my mission, yet so little time.  I know that I can't waste a second.  I am excited to keep working here with Elder Cosentino Buentino and to make the most out of every second.

Love,
Elder Perryman

Elder Cosentino Buentino!

My New companion is Elder Cosentino from Argentina!  He is from my MTC group, which means that we go home the same day.  He is super funny and a fanatic of soccer.  He doesn't know English (very well), but we read the Book of Mormon together in English.  It is going to be another good change here in La Victoria.

Mom to answer your question, the people here in Peru are a very happy people.  But it is true what you said, there is racism.  In Cajamarca you could see it a lot more than here on the coast.  Also People just yell "Chino," "Negro," or "Colorado" in the street or even as a term of affection.  And yes I clean my shoes daily, but there is a lot of dirt here.

When we were out contacting the other day we knocked on a door and a kid came out (they always send there kids to say that no one is home).  The little kid said "my mom went to the market" and my companion told him "ask your mom when she is coming back."  The kid didn't quite catch what Elder Cosentino said, so he went to ask his mom and when he came back he said "my mom says later."  I couldn't help but laugh at this.

Also this week we visited Wilder and his wife.  Wilder was explaining to us how he hasn't been able to go to church for a while because of his job.  Wilder is a big, burly teddy bear, but his job keeps them from being an eternal family.  He is trains chickens for cock fighting and there are about 100 reasons why this is against the teachings of Jesus Christ.  But we just taught them "The Family: A Proclamation for the World" and explained to him how important it is to be sealed in the temple.  We asked him what he would be willing to sacrifice to obtain and eternal family and without hesitation he said "my job."  It was sad, but the spirit was strong.  This moment was a testimony to me that there is no sacrifice to great to have an eternal family.

A sister from our zone is also going home today because she fractured her foot.  I am so thankful that nothing has happened to me on my mission.  Because I am very grateful for every second.

I have started to memorize "The Family" in Spanish and it is really helping.  The mission has changed to focus so much on the family and I am incredibly blessed for this.  It has helped me think a lot about how much I must prepare now to become the best Father possible one day.

I love you all,
Elder Perryman

Goodbye Elder Caceres

So this has been the fastest transfer I have had on my mission.  Elder Caceres has a change and I am staying here in La Victoria.  Elder Caceres also got accepted into BYU-I today so he is super excited.  We already have plans to meet up after the mission.

This week has been nice, because we didn't have many meetings or other zone stuff to worry about.  We just focused on the area.  We feel great about our work for this week and I feel like the area has gotten better then when I got here.  But the best thing is when we meet new families in the week.  I love that as a mission we are focusing so much on the family.

This week we met a man who found the Book of Mormon in the street and wanted to meet with us.  His name is Alberto and he is a little eccentric.  We explained to him the Book of Mormon and he told us that he was so glad that there was a clearer book than "the stuff Moses wrote."  He was funny and talked a little like a Spanish Yoda, but I love seeing a sincere desire to learn more of the Book of Mormon.  It is so important for everyone in the word to at least read and meditate about this book, and then ask the Lord if it is true.

Mom I am sorry I do not write many "details" in my letters, the days just feel like a blur to me.  But I have seen so many tender mercies from the Lord this week.  We have been meeting with members to strengthen their families and get references and I can truly see how I one day want to raise my own family.

Love,
Elder Perryman

There is a member here who makes cool Peruvian ties.  I just sent a picture to see if Dad or Sam would like any (let me know).

We had an all North American district.  We celebrated by singing "Our country tis of thee" to finish off the transfer!

What a week!

This week we had interviews with President Williams and his wife.  These are always very spiritual experiences and Sister Williams always gives us chocolate chip cookies.  I am so grateful for all the things that the Williams have taught me.

My Birthday was very low key, but I am very happy that we passed it almost like whatever day.  It was Sunday, so I am glad I had the chance to go to church and reflect upon many things.  At night our pension gave me an entire King Kong which is a huge cookie type thing from Lambayeque.  Also we drank A&W Root beer because we have both recently turned 21.

So today we went out to a park to play toss with my companions football.  We were in the grass part and one of the park "guardians" told us that we can't walk on the grass.  In Peru when there is grass, you can't step on it.  We ended up playing in the street and a moto taxi driver started watching us.  We ended up contacting him after and this Sunday we are going to visit him.

Saturday was one of the best days this week.  We taught about the temple and invited people (new investigators) to go in almost every lesson.  This made the day incredibly spiritual.  One man, Felix, let us in with the exception that we could never visit him again.  We entered his house and started to speak with him about his family and what his purpose on this earth is.  He ended up telling us that he felt like God took away his mother and for that, he had lost all hope.  We showed him "The Family" and the Trujillo Temple and he told us that he had a dream where his mother was at the temple.  The spirit was so strong there.  I know that the most important thing we can do on this earth is go to the temple.

Love,
Elder Perryman

Cockroach City!

I do not feel older, I still feel like a youngin´.   We started off the week with the leadership council with President.  This went super well.  These meetings always get us supercharged to work during the week.  It was super funny because two of President Williams sons were there and during the break he was playing ping pong with one of them.  While they were getting competitive Presidents other son came up with his Mission Manual raised above his head saying "Dad you know that you cant keep score".  It was super funny.

I put cockroach city because our room is infested with cockroaches.  We see one at least everyday.  Our room is clean, it is just that the cockroaches are all over this area of Chiclayo.

This week was a super tough week for us.  We are doing fine and Elder Caceres is by far one of my favorite companions, but the people here are hard hearted sometimes.  Sunday we went out with a member, Freddy, who is a recent convert,.  Last time he went out with us we just contacted so we planned to have appointments all day Sunday.  Many of these appointments fell as the families were drinking outside, but we walked to one appointment and their house was gone.  I mean GONE.  We made the appointment Saturday and Sunday afternoon when we came back the house was an empty lot with adobe bricks.  All we could do was laugh, but Freddy thought that we were messing with him.

This week we also had a great lesson with Henry.  We were teaching a family about the book of Mormon and they started doubting a lot of the things which we had said.  After they had asked everything Henry just gave an incredibly strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and how it truly converted him.  After the lesson we spoke more about his conversion and he told us that after his baptism every time he tried to pray at night he had a nightmare.  He told his mom (who is not a member) about how he couldn't sleep so he would stop praying.  She just told him "Well, who is stopping you from praying?"  After that he realized that he must always pray.  He told us that he started to put the Book of Mormon under his pillow and the nightmares started to go away.

I know this gospel is true.  I am never bored of it, I never stop learning.  I am so happy to be here at this time.  Sure I get bored of rice everyday, but my motive to be here is my Savior.  I am excited for this next week and I hope I will finally have some good photos to send.

Love,
Elder Perryman

La Vida Rica en La Viky Rica

So it has only been a couple of days since I wrote last.  Tomorrow is the leadership council and Elder Payare and Elder Mortenson are coming down to stay with us.  I just love the meetings with President because we leave so ready to work.

I forgot to tell you all about my Christmas pre-call.  Besides the fact that I had to call the home phone, then dad's cell, then mom's cell, and then finally Sam's cell, we were in the middle of the street using a public phone.  While I started making my calls a somewhat tipsy man came up and started speaking with us.  He came to me and asked "Lend me your airplane so that we can go to the states together." I just told him, I do not have a plane and he said "Well you heart is bigger than a plan so that is fine with me."  This conversation continued until I was able to speak with you all.

This week we found the Mendoza family.  They are great family with two kids.  They are both really funny, and they want the best for their children.  It is not common for us to teach complete families here, but I love teaching families more than anything.  When we asked Cristian if he would come to church he just said "Of course, but let me talk it over with my pillow", his wife just laughed and said that she will come next week too.

I am super excited about this week to come.  I love you all and I know that this gospel is true.  My companion and I always speak of the many small blessings that come through following the commandments of our Heavenly Father.

Love,
Elder Perryman

Happy New Year!

So time just goes by faster each day.  We are seeing some progress in our area and I feel like I know the area better now.  We are getting into a very strong work routine.  My companion is Elder Caceres, he is my first companion from the states!  His mom is from El Salvador and his Dad is from the Dominican Republic, he is a 2 generation immigrant.

Elder Caceres has 21 months in the mission, and he is a great missionary.  Though sometimes it is super weird speaking English so much.  We basically always talk in Spanglish.  But he is also thinking about going to BYU, so I have been helping him out a little bit with his application.  His goal is to be the first person in his family to go to college.

This area is basically the opposite of Cajamarca...It is just a huge sand box.  But in spite of that I am really enjoying trying to apply everything that have learned into this area.  I hope I will be able to train before I finish the mission, but it depends on what the Lord wants from me.

So much has happened in the past couple of days I am forgetting what to write, but I am so thankful for strong members of this church.  There is a youth here named Henry who got his mission call last week.  He works everyday of the week for almost all day at the airport, yet he will  come out with us always the day that he is free.  There are some strong member missionaries here and that is what really makes the difference.

Christmas and New Years were actually pretty calm this year.  Of course there was the yearly fireworks and burning things in the street, but we spent these days just trying to get some rest.

I  am very happy in my area and I can always feel the spirit teaching with my companion.  I am excited for the things that lay ahead.

Love,
Elder Perryman

Also I forgot to say that our whole district is from the states.

Our Room 

Traditional Christmas: Empenadas, chicken, and paneton

 

 Reading Luke 2 as a District

My new companion: Elder Caceres

(He just had his birthday!)